Not a bad choice at all. It is generally regarded as one of the top 2 for the mount, the other being the Tokina 11-16/2.8. You'll get better AF and lose out on the aperture (3.5 vs 2.. Not a bad choice at all. You may be able to find one used on Dyxum and save yourself $100. But that nice shiny new one does have the nice shiny new warranty as well.

TheEmrys wrote:Not a bad choice at all. It is generally regarded as one of the top 2 for the mount, the other being the Tokina 11-16/2.8. You'll get better AF and lose out on the aperture (3.5 vs 2.. Not a bad choice at all. You may be able to find one used on Dyxum and save yourself $100. But that nice shiny new one does have the nice shiny new warranty as well.

Good to hear. I really like the Tokina and it was the one I was attracted to first, but it's a good deal more money, relatively speaking. I didn't know the AF was better on the Sigma though. As for cost - GOOD NEWS - the Sigma is available at Best Buy - remember that gift certificate I have that I've had such a hard time finding a use for

Fisheye != Ultrawide. The Samyang (nee Rokinon, Bower, Pro Optics, half a dozen others...) 14mm F/2.8 I just picked up is wide- but rectilinear, not a fisheye.

Next, the widest 'normal' lens you can get on APS-C is ~10mm, and 14mm on full frame. Would recommend finding a lens that is either 10mm or near 10mm on the wide end. Now, that's not to say that the Rokinon 8mm fisheye isn't a good lens; rather, a fisheye is most likely not what you're really looking for. Either you want that 'fisheye' look, or you're cropping the hell out of it and would have been better off just using the wide end of your kit lens .

This is turning into an adventure. I may have hit a jackpot on Craigslist. Meanwhile, once I find a use for this BB GC, I'll be loath to ever have dealings with BB again. Hah! Maybe I'll put the GC on Craigslist.

TheEmrys wrote:You mind sharing what you are looking at? I love good CL deals. Even vicarious ones.

It's 3 Minolta lenses, one of them could, by looks, be the secret handshake, but I can't really make it out. The seller hasn't listed the specifics of the lenses, so I'm guessing the seller isn't aware of how valuable the lenses could be. One of the lenses looks like a Minolta short prime - could be a 35mm or 50mm.

I've also scoped out a 2nd minolta seller with two unidentified lenses - one looks to be a 50mm prime and the other is some kind of telephoto.

The one standing up is a beercan. 70-210/4. Great lens. The one that is mounted is tough to tell. But it looks like its a 35-105mm. There is no visible macro switch, so it cannot be the 28-85. I had a 35-105mm, and I somewhat regret getting rid of it. Amazingly good portrait lens. Might be the sharpest zoom Minolta made (including the secret handshake). It isn't the secret handshake, because the focus ring would be further up the barrel, on the other side of the focal range stamped on the side. As for the prime, it looks like it may be an off brand or possibly a cheap teleconverter. If it is the 35-105, this could be an awesome haul for you. This and the beercan generally run ~$100+ each.

One thing when buying older lenses. Take photos through several aperture settings. I learned this one the hard way. If it gets washed out at higher apertures (overexposed) it means there is oil on the aperture. The lens would have to be torn apart to be repaired. Oily aperture blades run ~$80 to be fixed by a pro.

Couple of things: these are both excellent lenses. Apertures are pretty small. The 35-105 is a 3.5-4.5 and the beercan is a constant f/4. These make for great bargain low-light shooters (the next step would be to get much more expensive f/2.8's, or primes at 1.4-1.7. The will definitely out-perform your kit lens in most applications (aside from the fast AF). However, they are heavy. All metal construction. So, they can last forever.

The mounted lens could also be the 100-200/f4.5, but I don't think so. Its the right size and shape, but it would make no sense given the beercan is there. Moreover, it doesn't look like enough digits in the very blurry shot of the barrel, which has the range stamped on it.

for what it's worth i always start with photozone.de. they seem to better real world lens reviews than dxo. http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/ also has a good database of reviews including user feedback. i find there are too many opinions on dpreview from people that read stats but dont use products so be careful there.

when looking for something that wide a manual focus prime might be a good option. the depth of field is pretty wide so you dont even have to be that accurate when you focus. i have a d600 and use a 24 mm MF lens which is close to 16 on a crop frame. i think i focus at infinity at 12 meter at 2.8 and 8 meters at 5.6

I have sold 4-5 from between $100-140. The one I sold for $140 had the box and manuals and was in mint condition (but didn't perform as well as one I have with a scratched barrel. It can be fast. Its also probably the most perfect zoom lens you can get right now to augment your kit lens. The only other lenses that could be preferable is the Minolta 75-300 Big Beercan (1 particular model out of 4), or the Tamron 70-300 USD. However, the beercan being at f/4 at 210mm makes it able to shoot faster/in lower light better than any other lens can do for less than $600. Every Alpha Shooter needs a Beercan. Its relatively small (compared to the f/2.8's, its tiny) with a good range and good speed. Its a winner at ~$100.

A friend asked me to grab a Beercan for her- and I couldn't find one, for the life of me. That's discounting questionable Ebay/Craigslist listings. I wound up just grabbing her a Tamron 75-300 instead; at least it'd get the shot.

If I wanted to find a good Beercan- that is, optically performing and mechanically sound- where would I start looking?

Easiest place is through shopgoodwill.com. Tons of beercans go through there. But if you want a good one, troll the for sale section in Dyxum. Their exclusive sales are the best place. Might take a bit. I can give you a heads up when I see one. There might be a couple there now.

Here is one for $130 including shipping, which isn't a bad deal at all. Here is a Big Beercan for $165 including shipping. The Big Beercan was my favorite tele-zoom. Has some CA and is big, but snappy and very fun to shoot with. For the best telezoom, look for the 100-300 APO (D or non-D). Finally, here is another Beercan for $110 with shipping included. But, it has microscuffs on the front element. We all know the front element has the least effect on IQ, but I still hate having them.

I've made a decision that comes with both pros and cons, although I hope the cons are really not so bad. I've got this worthless $210 BB GC. The Sony 75-300mm is not the highest rated lens, but not so bad either, and at $250 from BB it's just $40 + tax after using the GC. That's a good buy as far as I'm concerned, and I get to make use of this ridiculous gift certificate. I'll have to keep saving for the ultra wide angle lens.